The present invention relates to devices used in supporting and elevating the lower extremities. More specifically, the invention is a leg elevator that provides three different calibrated adjustment mechanisms that operate independently of each other. First, the height of the leg elevator can be adjusted to vary the elevation of the extremities. Second, the angle of the relative portions of the leg elevator can be adjusted to a position that corresponds with a patient's knee or hip joint. Third, the leg elevator can be adjusted to accommodate people having a shorter or longer distance between the hip and the knee joint.
After surgery or injuries to the legs or feet, there is a need to elevate the lower extremities to aid in the healing process. Elevation is beneficial to recovery because it reduces or eliminates swelling and fluid build-up (edema). In addition, patients with chronic swelling or lymphoedema may benefit from leg elevation on a permanent basis. Finally, patients suffering from low back pain often benefit from lower leg elevation. Elevation is usually provided in the hospital-setting and is often recommended to patients upon discharge from the hospital. However, the devices currently in use do not satisfactorily meet the need for a leg elevator that is adjustable by three different and independent means and that is practical and effective for use both at home and at the hospital.
There are several devices in the art that are used to support the lower legs. One type of support variation is the foam leg support used in the devices depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,487 and in U.S. Design Pat. No. 424,698. While these supports are usually inexpensive and can be used in the home setting, the supports are generally not adjustable, thereby limiting the therapeutic value to some patients. In addition, foam devices cannot usually be easily disassembled or collapsed for transport or storage and generally cannot be easily disinfected.
There are also some adjustable leg supports in the art. However, the adjustment mechanisms of these devices generally are limited and provide variance at only one or two different points of the device. A further disadvantage of other leg support devices is that even if they are adjustable, the devices do not allow for independent adjustment of the different parts of the device. For example, in many leg supports, if the angle of the knee is altered, the height of the lower leg must also be changed in a fixed variation according to the angular position at the knee joint. Likewise, if the height of the lower leg is changed, the knee is placed in a different position. This is problematic if the resultant change of position for that portion of the limb is not desired. This type of device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,108 and in 1,619,685 which provide support and elevation, but have only one mechanism for adjustment. Thus, the height of the leg is dependent on the angle of the knee. There is no independence of the adjustment mechanisms, and one or both of the leg support angles is determined by the elevation and flexion of the knee joint.
Other devices in the art are neither practical nor effective for home use because they are either too expensive, they are too difficult to adjust or they cannot be easily collapsed for transport and storage. Some known leg supports require the patients remove or lift their legs from the device for adjustment, such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,452,915, which requires the device to be physically lifted to disengage and reposition the device between the pre-formed “slots.” This adjustment mechanism is disadvantageous because it is hard for the patients to achieve the repositioning of a limb by themselves. Additionally, repositioning of the device may require raising or moving the leg from a comfortable or therapeutic position, which could cause pain and delay recovery. Other adjustment mechanisms in the art require the use of additional pieces that can be easily misplaced or utilize a sliding mechanism which runs along the base frame in order to adjust the component sections of the devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,486 uses “slabs or wedges” placed under the leg support to adjust the height of the device, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,066,322 and 830,776 provide adjustable supports wherein the adjustment is provided by sliding the vertical supports along the base frame and locking them in a desired position. Another disadvantage of these adjustment mechanisms is that it is difficult for the patient to vary the height of the support without the help of another person while the leg is engaged in the support device.
The present invention, on the other hand, consists of few parts that are easy to manufacture, to assemble and to operate. The leg elevator allows patients to change the elevation of the leg according to their specific needs. Furthermore, adjustment of the preferred embodiment of the leg elevator of the present invention is easy, allowing the user to move the telescopic legs that comprise the height adjustment mechanism and the upper leg adjustment mechanism and to move the ball-ratchet mechanism of the angle adjustment mechanism without even removing the leg from the leg elevator. Another benefit of the present invention is that the adjustment of the relative angle of the upper leg support and the lower leg support can be accomplished without moving the height adjustment mechanism or the upper leg adjustment mechanism to a new position on the leg elevator base. Furthermore, the points of adjustment of the leg elevator are calibrated and easily reproducible.
The concept of an independently adjustable leg support was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,385 which taught the use of two outer panels having a plurality of holes or apertures for receiving support rods that were attached to support panels used for receiving and positioning a leg. The '385 patent teaches that the rods are to be placed into one of a number of holes in the outer support panel grid and secured to the grid with a washer and a threaded fastener positioned on the outside of the grid panels. Thus, while independently adjustable, the adjustment mechanism is complex, and to accommodate persons of various sizes, larger or smaller outer panels with different configurations of grid holes would be required. Other disadvantages of the '385 device include the plurality of pieces that must be assembled and disassembled for use, and the difficulty in reproducing the desired elevation and angles of each component of the leg elevator. The present invention eliminates these problems and provides additional benefits that are readily apparent from the drawings and detailed description of the invention.
Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is constructed of lightweight, plastic pipe such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, but other materials such as lightweight aluminum material could also be used. The PVC pipe is preferred, though, because the material is inexpensive, so that it is feasible for patients to purchase the device and use it in the home. The plastic pipe also allows for easy disinfection by wiping the device with a surfactant or alcohol. This may be a useful feature if the patient suffers from post-surgical drainage, ulcers, or for multiple users, in general, in a hospital-setting.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide a leg elevator that allows for adjustment of three different mechanisms independently of one another.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a limb elevation system that is collapsible, and is lightweight, yet sturdy, for storage and transfer.
Further objects and benefits of the invention are readily apparent from the drawings and the description of the invention.